A Northern Ireland man who went public about being HIV positive to raise awareness has told how he was subjected to vile abuse - on World AIDS Day.

Actor Matthew Cavan was told to "go kill yourself" in an online tirade on Tuesday.

As campaigners across the world used the day to battle prejudice against people who are HIV positive, Matthew was targeted on the social media app Grindr.

He says it is "sadly not unusual" for him to be picked on by trolls, but added that "this is the worst I've ever seen".

He said: "I've had to put up with abuse in the past, but for someone to tell me to go and kill myself just goes beyond the usual nonsense you hear.

"It's been really positive that since it happened I've got so much support from people, but no matter how many people tell you to ignore it, you're only human and it hurts that people could be so cruel."

The 26-year-old, who also works as a drag queen, posted the exchange he had with the abuser on Facebook. The post resulted in a flood of messages of support for Matthew.

The online bully chose to remain anonymous as he subjected Matthew to the catalogue of insults.

In one jibe, the abuser tells Matthew "I hope you die of aids".

Matthew says he does not know what prompted the latest attack, but added that he has been targeted in the past after speaking of his experiences on previous World AIDS Days. He spoke recently in the Northern Ireland media about the revelation that actor Charlie Sheen is HIV positive.

Matthew was diagnosed as HIV positive in 2009 and went public the following year. He says he decided to be open about his condition to "tackle the stigma around being HIV positive and try and let other people out there see they don't have to deal with it on your own".

A YouTube video of him going public received thousands of views. However, Matthew now says he is considering "taking a step back" from speaking about his condition in the wake of the attack.

He added: "It's sad, but I have to think about myself and my mental health and this just doesn't do you any good."